This obituary-related forum serves as the blog for The Society of Professional Obituary Writers. Please join in the discussion with and ask questions of folks who write about the dead for a living, and others, who study, enjoy, read and/or write obituaries.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

A first: double obit of unrelated people

Here's something utterly tasteless - how would you like to have your obit combined with somebody else's just because you worked for the same lousy employer?

Two C.W. Post professors die on same day

BY MITCHELL FREEDMAN

March 8, 2007

Two prominent faculty members at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University died of cancer yesterday - music department chairman Christopher Culver and Jacqueline Frank, considered one of America's foremost medievalists.

Culver, 54, of Sea Cliff, who also was director of Jazz Studies, came to the Brookville campus in 2001, and was elected chairman of the department of music in 2003. He served as chairman of the C.W. Post faculty council in 2005 and 2006.

"He was a jazz trombonist and a wonderful teacher," said James McRoy, who lives in Huntington and heads symphonic winds at Post. "He was very dynamic. The students really enjoyed working with him."

McRoy said that, this summer, a student tour with a jazz ensemble and a vocal jazz ensemble that Culver helped organize will be performing in France. "The jazz ensemble has 18 members; he was responsible for it."

Besides his widow, Carrie, Culver is survived by an 8-year-old daughter, Madison. A memorial service for him is being planned at the campus Interfaith Center. McRoy said formal funeral services would be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Christ Church in Oyster Bay.

Frank, 61, of Great Neck, whose research dealt with the political implications of 12th century art in Western Europe and England, also was interested in the way Jews were depicted during that period. She specialized in Medieval stained glass and inscriptions, and had chaired sessions at international conferences on the study of the Middle Ages in both the United States and Europe.

She earned her bachelor's degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and her master's and PhD in art history from Columbia University. She is survived by her husband, Itzak, and their two children.

Funeral services for her will be held tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W. 76th St., in Manhattan.

C.W. Post is establishing memorial scholarships in the name of each of the professors through its Office of Development. Messages of condolence can be sent to the Dean's office, school of visual and performing arts, C.W. Post campus, Long Island University, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, N.Y. 11548.

Ok well I feel kind of dumb like Charles Barley, the NBA player who took issue with his own "autobiography" after it was published. But I still think it is tasteless to do double obits in the traditional obit style.